Reproduction and growth of the black shore skink, Leiolopisma suteri (Lacertilia: Scincidae), in north‐eastern New Zealand

Reproduction and growth of a boulder beach population of the nocturnal skink Leiolopisma suteri on Motutapu Island were studied for 19 months. Epididymes contain sperm from April to November, and copulation probably occurs in October or November (spring). Ovulation occurs in late October or early November, and three or four (mean, 3.7) eggs are laid in late December. Incubation takes 3 months. Total development time from ovulation to hatching is 5 months, one of the longest development periods recorded for Scincidae. Growth to sexual maturity is slow, most females depositing their first clutch 33 months after hatching; males mature at 29 months.